Direct TV Complaint

FRAUD - Cancelling Service

- Dallas

I had direct TV for more than 2 years. Had no real issues, just the occasional cutting in and out in wind and rain. But I dealt with it. But when in came time to cancel, that was a whole other story. I moved in April 08 and wanted my services to be connected and my new place. The tech came out and said there was no way to get service and that he would note the account and cancel the order. I then called customer service who was so rude and told me to suspend my account. I went back and forth with the rep ans explained I wanted it disconnected.

They said they would take care of it. I guess feeling personally attacked the rep did not make the disconnect. 4 months later I am being billed $600 for service. No only am I being billed but they took it directly out of my bank account at the end of the month when all my bills are due. I was on the phone all day with reps, supervisors even managers that would not help me. They told me oh well, not is so many words, that it was my fault and they were not going to help! I then jumped online only to find hundreds of people havve posted complaints on the web with my same story. Direct TV can not continue to get away with this. Here is the letter I sent to them.

Billing Dispute

I moved in April and called to have my service moved as well. The tech came out and could not connect the service. I was in the hospital at the time and had my apt manager here with him. He called me in the hospital and explained it can not be connected. I was told by him he would cancel the service and order with nothing else for me to do. Your technician said he would document that the service was unobtainable at the new location at that time. I wanted to make sure so I then called customer service to let them know. The rep was short and rude and said no I should suspend service. I explained no that I just need to cancel. They assured me it was done.
I heard nothing else until July when I received an email saying my account was past due. I immediately called and explain everything. The rep then told me the tech made no notes and shows he completed the work. I assured them I do not have direct TV nor a satellite dish here. I asked to speak to someone else. I then spoke with someone else who told me no they could see it was not connected and I had no service. I again was told this was resolved, after 2 hours of being on the phone. The rep I spoke to that day never told me there was still a balance and it would be coming out of my account.

Today my bank account was charged $600 which was my car and bill money for the month. I called customer service and have been getting the run around all day. I was hung up on twice then finally explained my situation to a gentleman that could not help me so he connected me with a Supervisor, Sherry, who told me she sees no notes of a cancel order but would look into it and would help me. 5 hours later she calls and said there was nothing she could do and to write a letter. I was shocked. I explained to her that I always paid my bills and why after more than two years of service with direct TV would I call to move service then just stop paying. I told her also the company had my address, phone number and obviously my email but I never heard a word until July. This is 3 months later. Had I known this was going on of course I would have immediately taken care of it.

One rep today said the charges were from a past due bill prior to April. I told him there was no way that could be true because I pay all my bills at directTV.com and I was current when I called to have my service transferred. He told me no no you did not pay since Jan. He went back and forth with me until I finally explained I had all my banking statements in front of me. He then changed his story. Same with the supervisor, who was the least helpful. She had me on the phone the longest and all she did was break down the charges. I kept telling her I understood the charge but how do we resolve it. She had no answer. She had no answer when asked why I never received a call. She said statements were sent out but if that was the case they would have been returned to direct TV because you still have my old address. She had no answers.

I cancelled my service in April. I never had any issues with direct TV until now. The tech did not do his job by not making better notes as of to what he actually did. Nor did the rep I spoke to make ANY notes.

I do not mind paying for bills or service that are mine or that I used. But in this case, I am being charged for service that was never given to me. I do not have a dish so signals are not being sent to my location however I am still being charged for service. I also am being charged an early cancellation fee. I more than fulfilled my end of the agreement. And all I want it to have these charges removed. This has caused me so much heartache and heartache. I always was pleased with your company and referred everyone I could talk to. This is leaving a horrible taste in my mouth about your company and employees.

I now can not leave my house because I have no money for gas, food and my car is in danger of repo because that was all the month I had at the end of the month. No one is willing to help me or even listen to me. They just keep telling me they have no notes. But the service was never connected here.

I am being charged for services that were never rendered. I am not asking for free service. I don’t think my request is unreasonable. All I want is to have this charge of $598.84 returned to my bank account. I have paid for the time when I had the service. Please don’t lose a customer and a word of mouth advertiser because one representative did not make a note! All I need is someone to please put themselves in my shoes for one moment and please be fair. Again I am not asking for anything but to remove charges when service was not being used I expect you to refund the money in good faith that was taken from my account, and that we can resolve this issue amicably.

Posted by hdc129 on 09/16/2008Did any of these issues get resolved? I'm having a similar problem with the early cancelation fee. I've talked to several reps and all told me different information. I'm really would like some justice, because this seems like a problem thats reoccuring. Sept. 16, 2008

Posted by gerryblu121 on 10/08/2008My story is similar to yours. We ordered DirecTV and had it for a total of 90 days, then we canceled the service and sent the receiver back to them. They then promptly went into our checking account and withdrew $600 without our permission, which caused a flood of bounced checks and over $700 in bank charges. Needless to say, we were livid, we had no more money in the house, 3 kids to feed, all of our bills due and 2 weeks till the next payday! It was horrible!

After chatting with various "supervisors" at DTV, I quickly realized that I was getting nowhere and they had no intention whatsoever of returning the money to our account. A few days later I called my bank and within 24 hours the $600 was returned to my account (the bank did a charge back to DTV) and all of the NSF fees were forgiven. It was a relief! I suggest that if these scumbags try to screw you over, just call your bank and make it clear that you did not know anything about their obscene charges and you did not agree to it.

I am planning to bring this matter to the attention of my Congressman. We all should. These big companies are just out to trample over people. ENOUGH! And by the way, Dish Network is not much better either!

Posted by vannigio2 on 10/21/2008I had the same problem right now. I cancelled my service in August and before that paid my balance. For two months I received my statements with a credit balance and now they are charging for services offered in 2006 (two years ago) that I paid already. Something needs to be done now!

Posted by miles759 on 12/23/2008I complained to BBB about My Direct Tv, on a rainy day I could not get a Picture. All current consumers when you have a problem you should call the service dept and keep notes. I want to save someone from paying a $150 fee. Please try Dish or Comcast.

Posted by cathy.maddox on 01/05/2009Cori, sorry to hear of your experience but don't hold your breath. There are souless devils we are dealing with here. They totally screwed me over too. Good Luck!

Posted by afreeman on 01/13/2009You should gather all your evidence and contact your Attorney General's office. They are great with getting things like this resolved and the more people who report this type of activity, the less likely it is to happen in the future. They (DTV) have done nothing for you but give you grief. You have to stand up for yourself. Contact the AG's office asap!

Posted by sandraf202 on 01/25/2009I have DirectTV and remote worked off and on since Nov. Got new receiver and two new remotes. Now, remote does not work AT ALL! Tried to cancel and said they would charge me $360.00. Asked for credit and was only offered $5.00 off my service. Only thing they want to do now is send ANOTHER tech out....for what! Want out of my contract. Any ideas of who I can complain to?

Posted by dgran11 on 03/08/2009After reading so many complaints online about Direct TV I too became fed up with the poor service that Direct TV expouses. I had problems with my DVR service and satellite signal which could not be found I called and got a run around I cancelled and was billed $195.00 for early termination so I canceled my debit card and ordered a new one before they can get into my acct. I have written a complaint to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission)www.ftc.gov about their practices and online complaints I am looking to write their home state Attorney General aybe if everyone else comes together with enough complaints we can put a leash on Direct TV.

Posted by brucecartier on 04/28/2009I got ripped by DIRECTV too as they stole $721 from my account without giving me a chance to return equip which they mailed return boxed on 4/23 and billed me 4/27RIPFOFF THIEVES

Called and spoke to David (U2631) at DIRECTV he informed me Amanda would return my call within 2 hours.
Amanda (R9631) at DIRECTV called offered me 60 days credit I politely refused and again informed DIRECTV that I would be suing in small claims court and filing criminal charges for unauthorized use of a credit card. Amanda kept telling me that DIRECTV had spoken with me and I had not called DIRECTV to confirm the disconnect and that DIRECTV had billed me for approximately 30 months before I noticed. I stressed to Amanda that I had never been contacted by DIRECTV after my initial E-mail in July, 2006 and that I had never spoken to DIRECTV about this account until February 24, 2009 when I discovered the fraudulent billing.

DIRECTVs position appears to be that I did not catch DIRECTV soon enough so DIRECTV intends to keep most of the funds that DIRECTV fraudulently removed from my bank account because I did not catch DIRECTVs fraud quickly enough. The approximately $100 credit DIRECTV offered does not equal the approximately $1600 dollars DIRECTV obtained fraudulently.

Posted by ddamon88 on 09/02/2009i to am having problems with DIRECT TV I wanted the $29.99 pkg, i was told that is not what i got but when i asked about the 3 free channels for 3 months i was told i got the basic pkg i was not getting it my first bill was $114.00 and billed $46.00 there after , they are rude to.after complaining to the Attorney General they said DIRECT TV wont cooperate to get a lawyer. I call the FTC. they told me they cant help individuals but if every one complains they can and will file a lawsuit against them and i would be put on that list for compensation, this was for NY so every one please call the FTC it takes 5 min they answer right away and are pleasant and all info goes to their attorneys the Number is # 1-877-382-4357. these people are a nightmare !!!!

Posted by sparqmark on 09/22/2009My wife ordered Direct TV with the NFL Sunday Package and 2 Year contract for my birthday. She set an install date and even noted on the notes that we already had a 4LNB dish on the house. The install day comes and noone shows up in a 4 hour window so I call them. I get a person on the phone and it takes them several minutes to discover what is going on. They then tell me that there is a past due amount from 5 years previous. I tell them that is impossible as all bills were paid and the contract had been honored. She proceeds to tell me that the outstanding balance is $357. What? I asked if I was on candid camera... I then ask for an itemized statement of the charges and she tells me that I was sent a new DVR and I owed over $150 in service charges. I then tell her that we never recieved the DVR because we were offered a great deal with another company and they were not being competetive at the time for current customers (only new). I tell her there must be some kind of mistake and that since we did n0t receive any new equipment that I would pay the difference of equipment charge and service charge. She says that this is not possible. I get a supervisor on the phone (suppossed). I run through the above and also mention that we cancelled or previuos service with Dish and that we are having a get together for the first weekend of football and I have no TV. This lady sounded like she could care less and said that I would have to pay the entire $357 to get their service. I then tell her that she is crazy to dispute a 5 year old bill with me because I am willing to nearly split the difference and sign a two year contract with them to give them more monthly revenue at at least $80 plus dollars a month and we already had a dish on the roof. She says that is the best they can do. I tell them that it is definitely their loss and they will not ever be getting my business or anyone I can reach. What kind of company is unwilling to take a persons money after they have already completed on record a full contract of service and at the same time lie about sending equipment and that service charges were not paid when you are even willing to meet them half way to save a relationship. This kind of customer service will be the demise of them as more people discover their unethical ways. Word of advise... Get Dish Network this fall when the new 922 slingshot DVR is released. Dish has always had the best equipment and now the offer Red Zone for 5.99 per month with a $70 plan. Hope this helps someone out there. Thanks, Mark Edmond, OK USA Go Sooners!

Posted by midasmayhem on 09/29/2009ddamon88 I'm in the same boat as you are. I have tried numerous times to work it out over the phone but each and everytime they just pass me along from one department to the next till someone puts me on hold for over 10 minutes and hangs up on me.

Posted by shes1dorkymom on 01/25/2010Cori,

I know exactly how you feel. I went to the grocery store this evening and my bank card was denied and I couldn't figure out why. I called my bank immediately to find out my account was overdrafted nearly $600 with another $300 in charges on the way. I t was borught to my attention that DirectTV took $744 out of my account without even sending a bill! Now I am left with no money, gas or food for my kids. I tred calling DirecTV, I got the same treatment as you. No help, expanations or apologies. I asked to make a complaint. Funny how, you can do everything else online or on the phone but COMPLAINTS have to be mailed to the President of DirecTV at a PO Box. DirecTV is the most unethical company I have ever had the displeasure of getting screwed by.

Posted by deborahallen on 02/11/2010In January we had a problem with our reception. A service representative came to our house to investigate the problem. He discovered that the eye on the satellite was faulty and replaced it. In Febuary we received our bill with a $49.95 service charge. When I called to dispute the charge I was told that they would apply a $35 credit but we would have to pay the remaining $14.95, and suggested I add their $5.99 monthly protection to avoid this service charge in the future. I emailed Direct TV and they replied that they leased the equiptment and as such the service charge was not their problem and I would have to pay it. This is just a marketing strategy to force customers to pay extra monthly fees for their protection plan and as such is an unethical way for them to avoid taking responsibilty for faulty equiptment provided, delivered and installed for them.
Once our contract is over we are hooking up our computer to our TV and watching television shows via the internet for free. We may not be able to record what we watch and we may not have some "perks" but at least we won't be paying an outrageous monthly fee to a company that manipultates their customers in this manner.

Posted by katecols on 02/16/2010I am just experiencing a similar situation with them from late 2009 now into 2010. HELP!

Posted by proplayer71 on 02/25/2010Directv is a sleazy company.File a complaint with the BBB it takes a few minutes online.then contact your local Atty. General's office and request a form , this you have to print , or have them mail you complaint form.After got to bank and dispute charges , Directv is scum , and what they're doing is illegal , and against the Fair credit act , and fair billing act which is backed by the federal government.Next look up local congress man , and any other state rep you can contact and let them know.The more complaints that come in the better chances you will have of starting a pattern.Next email the NFL.com website contact them and ask why they affiliate themselves with directv and their sleezy practicies , this will get no reply , but let them know what kind of company they're giving exclussive rights to their package.Last thing reccomend to friends , family and anyother website you have access to , stay as far away from directv as possibe.And dont forget anytime you get a minute hit the directv customer service contact us page to annoy the 7.00 an hour workers.

Posted by tot025 on 03/02/2010I am not a customer of Direct TV, however my sister is. Back in November my sister was experiencing some financial hardship and I helped her out by making a phone payment for her. Four months later, my account is charged $591.02 from Direct TV, this is an unauthorized payment and I have been given the run around by the managers and I am unable to do anything about it until tomorrow when the authorization is cleared. This is the most blatant example of fraud that I have ever seen. How is it possible for a company to withdraw money from ones account without authorization. Something should be done so that this type of shady business doesn't continue to happen.

Posted by ldanon on 03/10/2010I am so sorry that I did not see these posts before I signed up for Direct TV for our business... I called the 800# and spoke to a friendly representative and told them that we were moving our business and that the new place did not have cable reception so we were investigating our satellite options. He said great! and went on to give the sales pitch of his life. I signed up for the $24.99 package and scheduled an install date AT OUR STORE and the tech came and installed the dish AT OUR STORE. One week later I get a nasty call from the "fraud department" from a nasty, uneducated girl named Brittnay - telephone number 310-964-2886 if you want to harrass her - telling me that I was committing a fraud by having a residential acct at a business... I said EXCUSE ME?!? FRAUD?! I gave the name of my business, I gave the address of my business, I told the guy it was a business and a tech came to my business to set up the service by drilling a HOLE in the side of my building - How did I commit a fraud?! DirectTV is commiting a fraud by selling me a on lost cost package and then once everything is installed switching on me to a "business package" which is nearly 3x the price .. I said to her -- who do I CALL about a fraud perpetrated against me?! And she of course - with her high school education continued to read from her script... refused to transfer me to anyone and told me if I did not call the Commercial Accts dept my service would be suspended...The person at the commercial dept was very understanding but said that yes, I would need to switch to a business acct for $69.99 a month ... and I said no - that unless they figured something out they would have to send a tech to my BUSINESS and take their equipment back -- and since THEY were changing the terms of the contract I would not pay anything... We'll see... I am cancelling my credit card today so they cannot start charging me for things like happened to the people on this site ... at least I read your notes in time for that! I'll keep you posted as to how things progress...

Posted by skielley on 03/13/2010I signed up for Direct TV and agreed to a 2 year contract. Direct TV told me I needed to give them a credit card so they could charge a $250 deposit in case I terminated the contract early. This depended on your credit score which I thought my 802 credit score would suffice. Direct TV told me that I did not qualify and the deposit would be charged.

2 years and 3 months later I sold my house. I called Direct TV to cancel the service and the representative asked me the reason for cancelling the service. I told him I fulfilled my contract obligation and I just wanted to cancel the service. He told me, "in order to make this a pleasant experience, you will need to give me a better reason." I responded by asking him if he was threatening me. He repeated his coment. After 45 minutes I hung up on him and called back to finally cancel my service. I got a similar arguement from another representative but he finally agreed to cancel my serivce. I asked for the service to be cancelled on Jan. 28th and they cancelled it that night the 24th.

The real crime is the deposit that should be refunded is actually non-refundable. Has anyone ever heard of a non-refundable deposit? I don't think you can legally have such a thing. Of c0urse I am not going to take the time to sue Direct TV, but I thought everyone should at least know that Direct TV is morally bankrupt.

Steve

Posted by twinmonica on 03/16/2010Don't sign up for Direct tv, everytime you add anything like another box or dvr your contract gets extended and they fail tell you it will. Then when you complain about it they say to read the fine print in the agreement. Even cell phone companies tell you up front that your contract will be extended. Direct tv doesn't. In the long run you are paying the same that you would for cable.

Posted by gspowers51 on 03/25/2010We were thinking of getting Direct TV but they just rolled my sister in law for extra monthly fees. They increased my sister-in-law's service from $50/mo to $75/mo because she was the contact for an elderly friend, to help the elderly person out with her bills. (The service was in the name of the elderly friend at the elderly friend's home.) And when the elderly friend was late on a couple of payments Direct TV increased my sister-in-law's own monthly service fee. So FORGET Direct TV. I will let at least 10 people know.

Posted by clarsen65 on 04/08/2010Signed a 2 year contract with Direct TV for television service Aug 2009, when I set it up there was a 24 per month deal with multi boxes and most channels. I asked if I could add NFL for a few months that I wanted the $24 deal for the year and would pay full price for they offered me a deal for the NFL, I said, can I go back to the $24 deal when football was over, they said yes. Football season ends, so does the NFL channel and I got a bill for $150! Called to complain, explained the situation, they said you should have known...I said I ASKED! was told yes. Called Corp office, complained about Bait and Switch tactic, they gave me Showtime free and apologized they didn't explain well enough...was tired of the fight, took the offer. 2 months later, NO Showtime, called CS, it took 3 days to get someone on the phone (this is customary) They had no record about Showtime Free (even though she began to read me the conversation aloud about the prior free showtime conversation written on my account, she said "I don't know what you are talking about." I also told her once again the equipment is faulty and can't be relied upon, she had never heard of this (this is a common complaint with DVR and remotes not working. She offered the free Showtime I had for $2.99 a month. a replacement DVR for $200 with a later credit, but it would extend my contract another 24 months! I declined the offer. A tech could come out and fix the equipment but the service fee would be high unless I got a service contract with them for $49.99! The $24 a month for a working television service had I now grown to around $200 if I actually agreed to all they offered and so if I want more than just equipment in the house and really want to view the TV my choice is to continue to pay higher and higher fees to do so. Never mind that the contract was for service which they do not consistently provide. They will not allow me to cancel my contract with them! They will not provide me with any paperwork on any agreement. I constantly get the run around. There are hundreds of people who are victim to Direct TV's bait and switch tactics. Google Direct TV fraud to see...which I would have found out BEFORE I signed. This seems to me unlawful. why is nothing being done? There is I filed a complaint with my state's attorney General, with the FCC and with BBB, now I'm getting an attorney.

Posted by babytowne on 05/18/2010I recently had an issue with direct tv. I got a brochure in the mail and I called to set up an account. I was nearly finished the lady told me I could not set it up that I was using a prepaid card. In which I did have a prepaid visa. I told her that was okay because I did not have a regular credit card and I got off the phone with her,before I got off the phone I asked the lady was my card charged. She sat on the phone and lied through her teeth. My card was charged no helped me yet. I am getting the run around.

Posted by bootschandler on 05/19/2010DTV is the devil! I'm going through equipment return hell with them right now, too. It's positively astounding that so many people are going/have gone through this, and the company is permitted to stay in business. I'm telling everyone I know to stay away from DTV.

Posted by nx1998 on 10/19/2010Stay away from direct TV’s 12 months contract. I bought the contract from their website and found dissatisfied after 8 months so I contacted direct tv to cancel the contract. I was told that the contract is going to expired in 4 months. After 4 months, they said that I got another year left in the contract. So I went ahead terminated direct tv and they charged me a termination fee of $250. I paid $250 with a check and later found out that they also charged my credit card for $250. I contacted direct tv, they promised to reverse the money back to my credit card but never did. I try to disputed the charge through my credit card company but they drag me on and on for 3 months. At the end, they said it was too late to dispute the charged. So I end up paid $500 and a lot of stresses.
I’m done with direct tv and will not direct tv recommend to anyone.

Posted by alexaseyes on 07/26/2011I had a bad relationship with Directv from the start of my 2 year contract. I got things resolved from my state Commissioners office. First you need to send a copy of your letter to The state commissioner. For future reference don't give out your card numbers to any services.If you are required to at installation.. give it to them then I would have your number changed or open a new account then close it. If you call the bank tell them you lost your Debit card..they will issue a new card with a new number. Pay your bill through your pay bill account with your bank. This way you are protected...so one one can get in to your account and take your money. This is the only way to play the game..as you are being held hostage by these companies with early termination fees etc. DO NOT TRUST anyone who has access to your account. I HATE DIRECTV...worst customer service ever!!!!

Posted by sparkyrose54 on 10/25/2011I ALSO HAVE GOTTEN RUN AROUD WITH DIRECT TV, I ALSO AGREE THAT WE ALL SOMEHOW NEED TO TO A CLASS ACTION SUIT AGAINST DIRECT, TV, AND I JUST SEEN THEY ARE DROPPING FX NETWORK ,MY FAVORITE, TO ME THATS LIKE BREACH OF CONTRACT, I WANTED THAT THEY DIDNT ASK ME , OR GET MY VOTE ON THIS SO WHY WILL I BE CHARGED 400.00 TO CANCEL , THIS COMPANY WERE IS THE FCC ON ALL THESE COMPLAINTS WHY IS THIS COMPANY STILL ALLOWED TO BE IN BUSINESS , ????????

Posted by djredhar on 03/21/2012DTV SUCKS

Posted by tessknoll on 11/01/2012You should always cancel the card (and any previous cards) you use for automatic payment to DirecTV before cancelling service. If you do that, they can't take the money out of your account. Be proactive. They will try to steal your money any way they can.

Posted by a_oneill2007 on 11/20/2012I just had the same thing happen to me. I had informed Direct TV back in September that I was moving and unable to pay and expected the matter to be referred to a collection agency and terms of payment arranged for terminating the contract. Instead, Direct TV waited until November, then made 4 unauthorized charges on my bank account totalling over $1000, generating NSF fees, and emptying my bank account to leave me entirely without funds - without notifying me let alone gaining my permission to debit the charges against my account. Even if they claim "contract terms," any contract which would include terms that state specifically that in the event of termination that they can assess liquidated fees directly against your bank account or credit card and without prior arrangements or permission to do so by the account-holder would be unconscionable, as would any such practice, which in my experience has never been replicated by any other company over any contracted service, which makes Direct TV alone and unique in that respect. Any contract that would include such unconscionable terms, as Direct TV claims, would make the entire contract null and void as legally unenforceable, or at least under California law, which is fairly strict in this area. Unconscionable contracts/contract terms are illegal, null, and void.

Posted by VALLEJOGUY on 03/13/2013i HAVE HAD IT NOT ARE THEY ONLY RUDE BUT NEVER FOLLOW THROUGHtHEY ACTULLY DRAFTED MY BANK ACCOUNT AND TOOK 3 MONTHS TO REPAY ME, mE A FOOL TO TRUST THEM AGAIN.I MOVED AS WE WERE AWAITING TO CLOSE ON A HOUSE AND PLACING SERVICE IN SUSPEND MODE AFTER BEING A CUSTOMER OF OVER 2 YEARS NOW TELL ME I HAVE A AMOUNT PAST DUE. i DONT EVEN KNOW WHERE THEY PROVIDED SERVICE AS WERE NOT AT THE ADDRESS OF THE FORMER SERVICE,

PLEASE SEND ANY INFO WHERE TO GO TO RESOLVE THIS AND CANCEL SERVICE ONCE AND FOR GOOD

Posted by melissaleos21 on 07/25/2013Im trying to cancel. I am beyond upset with the service. Im trying to find an address that direct tv does not support. Would you be wiling to share with me an address maybe a couple blocks down or something on a private message or something, Plz i would really appreciate it.